Airline Highway / US 61 & 190 & Florida Boulevard / US 190
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana's Capital Area megamall was built on 103 acres, sectioned from the 418-acre Cortana Plantation tract. The site was situated 5.3 miles east of the Bayou State State House. CORTANA MALL was designed by John J. Desmond, of Hammond and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The complex was developed by a joint venture of Milton J. Womack and Frank G. Sullivan, of Baton Rouge, Morton L. Olshan and Mall Properties, of New York City, and JCP Realty, Incorporated. Construction got underway in late 1974. The first operational store, a 1-level (118,500 square foot), Baton Rouge-based Goudchaux's ["Gawd-showz"], opened its doors on February 11, 1976.
The official dedication of CORTANA MALL was held on August 4, 1976, with eight operational stores. Among these were a 2-level (199,300 square foot) J.C. Penney. Present at the grand opening were Woodrow W. Dumas (Mayor of Baton Rouge), Milton Womack, Morton Olshan and George Murphy (of JCP Realty).
Dillard's 2-level (238,000 square foot) store welcomed its first shoppers on September 30, 1976. A 1-level (90,000 square foot), Baton Rouge-based H.J. Wilson Catalog Showroom held its grand opening on October 17, 1977, with a 2-level (241,000 square foot) Sears dedicated on March 8, 1978.
Charter stores and services included Thom McAn Shoes, Foxmoor Casuals, City National Bank, The Swiss Colony, Chess King, Dutch Maid Donuts, Record Bar, Waldenbooks, Cortana Holiday Hallmark and a Piccadilly Cafeteria. The General Cinema Corporation Cortana Mall I-II-III showed its first features on August 26, 1976. CORTANA MALL, with approximately 1,386,300 leasable square feet and over 100 stores, was the Bayou State's largest shopping center.
The first regional-class shopping hub in the city had been dedicated in 1960. The open-air BON MARCHE REGIONAL CENTER{1 mile west, in Baton Rouge} was originally a strip-type complex. It was rebuilt -as an enclosed venue- in 1974 and renamed BON MARCHE MALL. The complex was shuttered in 1990, and is known today as BON CARRE TECHNOLOGY CENTER. ESPLANADE MALL {3.2 miles southwest, also in Baton Rouge} had become the region's first fully-enclosed shopping center in 1973.
The first enlargement of CORTANA MALL was completed in 1981, when Goudchaux's added a second level. The store now encompassed 237,000 square feet. A 2-level (82,000 square foot) Mervyn's, and seven-store North Wing, were dedicated on July 12, 1987. The shopping hub now encompassed 1,600,000 leasable square feet and housed 140 stores and services.
Over the years, three CORTANA MALL anchor stores were rebranded. Goudchaux's became a Goudchaux's / Maison Blanche in May 1982 and bona fide Maison Blanche in April 1988. With Dillard's acquisition of Mercantile stores, in 1998, Dillard's moved from its original spot (at the northeast side of the mall) to the Goudchaux's / Maison Blanche space (on the southwest). This new Dillard's welcomed its first shoppers on December 6, 1998.
The original Dillard's had been sold to Saks, Inc., who re-opened the space, as a Birmingham-based Parisian, on December 13, 1998. This store was soon rebranded by another Saks Inc. subsidiary. A Jackson, Mississippi-based McRae's nameplate was installed on September 7, 1999.
In early 2001, May Stores acquired nine stores from Saks, Inc., including the McRae's at CORTANA MALL. The store morphed into a Houston-based Foley's on March 28, 2001. Federated Stores acquired May Stores in August 2005. As a result, the CORTANA MALL Foley's received a Macy's nameplate on September 9, 2006.
Wilson's Catalog Showroom re-opened -as a Service Merchandise- in 1985 and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear in September 2004. This store was shuttered in early 2009. A campus for Birmingham-based Virginia College opened on October 4, 2010. Mervyn's went dark in February 2006.
Wilson's Catalog Showroom re-opened -as a Service Merchandise- in 1985 and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear in September 2004. This store was shuttered in early 2009. A campus for Birmingham-based Virginia College opened on October 4, 2010. Mervyn's went dark in February 2006.
MALL OF LOUISIANA {4.5 miles south, in East Baton Rouge Parish} opened in October 1997. This was followed by SIEGEN ["See-gun"] LANE MARKETPLACE {5.7 miles southeast, also in East Baton Rouge Parish} in 2002. Baton Rouge's first lifestyle center, TOWNE CENTER AT CEDAR LODGE {1.9 miles southwest, in Baton Rouge} was completed in 2005.
By this time, CORTANA MALL had been in decline for a number of years. This was caused, in part, by the proliferation of new shopping facilities in its trade area, especially MALL OF LOUISIANA. Another contributing factor was that the center of population of Greater Baton Rouge had shifted toward the southeast, away from the mall.
A face lift, completed in November 1991, attempted to reverse the mall's malaise. A second update, done in 1997, included parking lot resurfacing, new interior and exterior landscaping, ceiling treatments and interior lighting. A name change, to THE MALL AT CORTANA, was implemented in June 1997.
The official name of the center reverted back to CORTANA MALL in March 2009. This name change was joined by the opening of several new inline stores. These included Trios West, 80 Stitches, Baton Rouge Police Supply, Cozamel Mexican Restaurant, Bernard's Pralines and Goldman's Jewelers. Dillard's was also converted into a single-level Clearance Center.
New York City-based Mall Properties, Incorporated, saddled with an upside down mortgage, handed the CORTANA property back to the lender in April 2011. The Dallas-based Woodmont Company was brought in the manage the complex and lease its vacant area. In March 2013, Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments acquired the shopping hub.
In January 2016, Cincinnati's Macy's, Inc. announced that their CORTANA MALL store would be shuttered along with thirty-nine other locations around the United States. The store went dark in March 2016. One year later, the mall's east anchor store was shuttered, as one of forty-one decommissioned Sears locations. J.C. Penney added to mall's woes by closing their store in June 2017. It went dark as one of 138 mall-based Penney's stores.
By mid-2019, CORTANA MALL was virtually vacant. The few stores and services that remained were evicted. The shopping concourse was shuttered on September 18, 2019. Only the Dillard's Clearance Center remaining in operation, but it closed on May 2, 2021.
By this time, CORTANA MALL had been in decline for a number of years. This was caused, in part, by the proliferation of new shopping facilities in its trade area, especially MALL OF LOUISIANA. Another contributing factor was that the center of population of Greater Baton Rouge had shifted toward the southeast, away from the mall.
A face lift, completed in November 1991, attempted to reverse the mall's malaise. A second update, done in 1997, included parking lot resurfacing, new interior and exterior landscaping, ceiling treatments and interior lighting. A name change, to THE MALL AT CORTANA, was implemented in June 1997.
The official name of the center reverted back to CORTANA MALL in March 2009. This name change was joined by the opening of several new inline stores. These included Trios West, 80 Stitches, Baton Rouge Police Supply, Cozamel Mexican Restaurant, Bernard's Pralines and Goldman's Jewelers. Dillard's was also converted into a single-level Clearance Center.
New York City-based Mall Properties, Incorporated, saddled with an upside down mortgage, handed the CORTANA property back to the lender in April 2011. The Dallas-based Woodmont Company was brought in the manage the complex and lease its vacant area. In March 2013, Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments acquired the shopping hub.
In January 2016, Cincinnati's Macy's, Inc. announced that their CORTANA MALL store would be shuttered along with thirty-nine other locations around the United States. The store went dark in March 2016. One year later, the mall's east anchor store was shuttered, as one of forty-one decommissioned Sears locations. J.C. Penney added to mall's woes by closing their store in June 2017. It went dark as one of 138 mall-based Penney's stores.
By mid-2019, CORTANA MALL was virtually vacant. The few stores and services that remained were evicted. The shopping concourse was shuttered on September 18, 2019. Only the Dillard's Clearance Center remaining in operation, but it closed on May 2, 2021.
Meanwhile, Amazon.com had announced plans to acquire the moribund mall, raze it and build a new Fulfillment Center. Demolition of CORTANA MALL commenced in March 2021. The new Amazon Fulfillment Center was completed in September 2022.
Sources:
The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
"From Opening Date to Demolition" / The Advocate / Timothy Boone
Baton Rouge Community Leader
Gris-Gris (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
East Baton Rouge Parish Library
www.urbanprairiewasteland.blogspot.com
www.cortanamall.com
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.mallproperties.com
http://moonbeamproperty.com
East Baton Rouge Parish Library
www.urbanprairiewasteland.blogspot.com
www.cortanamall.com
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.mallproperties.com
http://moonbeamproperty.com
"The Mall At Cortana" article on Wikipedia
